


Haikyuu: Beyond Recognition

by nionicle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fighting, Fights, Fist Fights, Fluff and Angst, Gangs, High School, Hurt, Identity, M/M, Power Dynamics, Team Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nionicle/pseuds/nionicle
Summary: At their school, only the strong survive, Yamaguchi knows this and excepts it. Tsukishima on the other hand finds that the hierarchy is pointless and does everything in his power to not get involved. He'll take a beating if that means that he can get back to his studies but usually won't lift a finger to help others. Eventually, the bullies get tired of Tuskishima's indifferent behaviour and decided to focus on a new target; Yamaguchi, hoping that they'll finally get a reaction out of Tsukishima.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara & Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kinoshita Hisashi/Narita Kazuhito, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	1. It'll be okay Tadashi

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I've never really written anything like this before so I hope you enjoy it! I'm always open to critics and comments so if you notice something that I should change in my writing, please tell me!! I plan on making a series with Haikyuu One-shots, next up is Bokuaka but if anyone has any requests for characters or pairings, leave a comment and I'll try to get to as many as possible!!

Blow after blow they just kept coming. It’s not like I wasn’t used to it, but I can only take so much. What had I done this time to deserve it? Maybe I looked at him wrong, or I was walking too slowly in the hallway, whatever it was I probably didn’t deserve the beating I was getting. But what could I do, at least I’d rather him hit me than anyone else. Most of my classmates would make a show out of it and then it’d be too loud to study. Plus, it’s not like anyone cares about what happens to me anyway, they’re just happy it’s not them getting beat up. People have told me that hardships change you and make you stronger, but I find that that only really applies when it’s important to you. And strangely enough, it seems that I don’t find being beaten up important.  
Then the punches stopped coming. I found I had somehow gone from standing to lying on the floor practically across the room. People had even moved desks out the way as I’d been pushed back, though it seemed that as I lay there bruised and bloody, nobody was going to be helpful enough to help me up off the ground. Not that I mind, I knew I had people I could count on when it mattered. I slowly pulled myself up, I was almost standing when I felt a burning pain on the side of my head. I reached up toward my ear and when I brought my hand back down I noticed it was stained with red. 

Dammit, I thought.  
This better not be another concussion. I waited there to see if my vision would go blurry or if my ears would start ringing but as the seconds went by I realized that it might've just been a cut from being pushed to the floor. 

I carefully walked back to my desk and the boy next to me was kind enough to give me some Kleenex to clean the blood off my face. As I started trying to wipe off all the drying blood, I looked down at my uniform, the usual crisp whiteness of the shirt was now a discolored pink and it was so thick in some places that it became a deep red. Although blood speckled the classroom from my desk to near the door, it seemed that most of the damage was superficial so I went back to studying. But instead of studying, I got lost in thought.  
I was beginning to find the way this school works to be tiring. The hierarchy isn’t based on intelligence or academic standing, it’s based on who can throw the hardest punch. Being top of my class meant nothing and I think that’s what bothered me the most. Usually, people would look up to someone like me, strive to be anywhere near as gifted as I am. I’d have the respect and support of my teachers and my classmates would look at me for guidance but here I am sitting humiliated at the front of the class. Maybe that’s why I just take beating after beating, I can’t be respected for my intelligence so I’d rather be looked at as someone who can at least take a punch. 

The lunch bell rang as everyone returned to their seats, my assailant returned with the teacher who didn’t even bat an eye at my condition and the bully himself gave me a sickly enthusiastic smile as if nothing had ever happened. I gave him a blank look in return. He looked a little disappointed and glared at him as he sat at his desk. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head, lowered eyes? Because that wasn’t going to happen, I’d never show him what he wanted.  
Classes seemed to finish as quickly as they started, The final bell rang but I stayed sitting at my desk. As I sat there I felt gentle arms wrap around my shoulders and a head rest on top of mine. 

“Guess who?” They asked. 

Like I had to guess.

“Come on, I told you to stop doing that,” I said, laughing a bit.

“You're no fun. I’ve gotta grab some stuff from my class before we leave. Meet me by the front entrance, okay?”

And with that, they walked off. As one of my only friends at this godforsaken school, Yamaguchi was the only thing that made this school bearable. He wasn’t very strong but he was such a nice person that he usually didn’t get picked on and sometimes that protection even extended to me. Even when he did get beat up, he always put on a brave face and smiled anyways. I admired that side of him.  
As I walked out of the classroom I noticed the resident brute talking to some of his friends, they quieted down as soon as they saw and I thought I might be in for another beating when they walked the other way. Trying to hide the surprise on my face I walked towards the entrance, checking the time on my watch I realized how late I was, he might get there before me. Approaching the meeting spot I noticed that no one was there, so I sat down on a bench, taking out my book and putting my headphones on.  
As the seconds turned in minutes, I started to grow uneasy, he’s never been this late before. But he can take care of himself so I shouldn’t be too worried. Then the minutes turned into an hour as I sat, too conflicted to read but still too unsure to do anything else. While staring at the pages a group of my classmates walked by, my music was loud enough that I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying but still quiet enough to notice when they mentioned Yamaguchi’s name. The group noticed my stare, and quickly turned away and averted their eyes. That was the final straw as I stood up to go back into the school.

I’ve seen Yamaguchi beat up before, but what worried me the most wasn’t his bubbly and soft personality. What some people might not see was that he was quite stubborn too, he’d be shy and nervous but within him, he held an unwavering need to succeed. I know I’m stubborn but it mostly came after being in so many one-sided fights, Yamaguchi's stubbornness was a result of his stupid sense of pride and justice. I would take a beating just to get it over with and I knew which opponents would destroy me and the ones that would stop if they saw I wasn’t doing anything about it. With my insight, I’d plan my strategy accordingly. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, wouldn’t back down from a fight when he knew it mattered and would continue going until he physically couldn’t move anymore. I’ve seen him in action before and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t impressive but I’ve also seen the aftermath. 

I was near my classroom but I didn’t see anyone, so I continued walking, looking into every class as I went. Everywhere was disturbingly empty, that was until I turned the corner and saw a huge group of students crowding around a classroom at the end of the hall. Walking toward the group, the classroom seemed familiar for some reason but I couldn’t quite remember why. I had to push my way through the large number of classmates clustered outside of the class but when I got to the center I almost wished I’d just stayed on the outskirts. I realized why I thought this classroom was so familiar. It was Yamaguchi’s classroom. 

Sprawled before me was Yamaguchi’s broken body, he was battered almost beyond recognition. His eyes were swollen shut and his hands lay at his side and awkward angles, I could tell from here that at least one of his legs was broken but the worst part was the gash across his stomach. Even from the other side of the room, I could tell that there was way too much blood but I was reassured when I saw his chest rise steadily up and down. I quickly ran forward putting myself between him and the bully. Then I bent down and whispered in his ear.

“Yamaguchi please be okay.” My voice cracked unexpectedly. “I’m here now, Tsukishima- Tsukki’s here. I’ll protect you.”

Before I turn back to look at the bully in front of me, I see a faint smile cross Yamaguchi’s face and it fills me with hope.

“What is wrong with you!” I yell, as someone who is normally reserved, many of my classmates were taken aback.

“Hah! So this is all I needed to do to get a reaction out of you. Too bad you didn’t show up sooner though, I’m feeling a little too tired to fight another dumb nerd today.” 

He started walking towards the door, tossing down a broken table leg and laughing a bit to himself as he did. Then something inside me shattered, I’ve never been a fighter but they say that sometimes hands-on learning is the best type of learning.  
I grabbed the discarded table leg and swung it so it’d hit his temple and while he was disoriented I brought my knee up to hit him square in the back. Then I turned him towards me and I went in with my elbow to the side of his jaw and then my fists, over and over again, and he just stood there dumbfounded, wide eyes staring directly into mine as he slowly collapsed to the floor. His eyes probably looked as pitiful as mine once had but I was too far gone to be the weak punching bag he once knew. The one rule I’d been taught since going to this school was to keep your head down and you'd probably be fine, but after watching one of my only friends beaten up for no good reason, I couldn't just stand by and play along.  
I kept hitting him, one blow after another.

“What did you think would happen, you’d see the light leave my eyes as you beat up an innocent person!” I yell, the sound that came out was more muffled though, sounding more like a cry of desperation than of outrage.

Yet I still kept hitting, I knew he was down but I don’t think I would have forgiven him anyway. The world was ringing around me, the body before me was blurry and my breathing was shallow, but I would keep on fighting until I couldn’t move anymore. I wasn’t entirely aware of what was going on around me anymore, more thoughts than I could handle were racing in my head. Suddenly one thought seemed to stick, maybe this is what everyone was talking about when they said misery and oppression were catalysts of change. I’ve never been someone to believe that I could be influenced by outside terms, too stubborn for my good maybe, but it seems like everyone has their tipping point. Then I stopped hitting him. I looked around dazed, then my eyes focused on Yamaguchi. He was still lying there in a pool of his blood, I turned towards the crowd that had been gathering and yelled.

“You’re not going to help him! Stop just standing there and do something! He’s YOUR classmate, isn’t he!”

No one says a word as I approach Yamaguchi once again. 

“It’s okay Tadashi, it’ll be okay.”

In that moment I swore to make sure that this would never happen to anyone. I’ve never been one to care for others but I knew when enough was enough and I would make sure that everyone else did too.


	2. The unexpected team up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The talk of the school recently was Yamaguchi’s fight but what had really surprised people was Tsukishima’s descent into deviancy. The so-called “straight A student” became one of the most feared school delinquents overnight, not that Hinata really cared though. As long as he didn’t try to claim his class, he could care less about what he did because he was more worried about Kageyama and how his group was inching towards his territory. The last thing he expected though was for him and Kageyama to become friends, but you know the saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually planned out this story a bit more so I think I'll turn this into a pretty long story if people enjoy it. I hope everyone will continue reading this as the plot develops!!

“Get up!”

Apparently, this fool thought that his fate would somehow be better if he stayed on the floor but I quickly proved him wrong. Bringing my foot down onto his back, I brought him into a kneeling position then I pulled his chin upwards so that he was looking into my eyes. I could tell by the fear on his face that he probably learned his lesson but where’s the fun in just letting someone go? I liked contests and excitement, and giving something or someone up was neither of those. It was no surprise that this moron thought that Kageyama might somehow be a better leader than me but like hell would I let him peacefully transfer out of my classroom. I pushed his face back down before continuously kicking the back of his head until I saw a pool of blood start to form. 

“Hope you learned your lesson.”

I said as I started to walk away. I smiled in his direction as he pulled himself shakily back up onto his feet. Then I turned around completely and threw something at him, he flinched thinking that it was another punch but seemed to relax a little when he realized that it was just a Kleenex.

“Come on, I’m not that mean.” 

Laughing to myself I turn back around. My lips tilt upwards again but the look in my eyes is dark compared to the bright expression on my face. As I walk into the hallway anyone who doesn’t have a death wish immediately moves out of my way. I take great joy in glaring at the other students and purposefully pushing the ones who don’t notice me off of their feet. For some reason people have always looked down on me because of my height, they tell me “You're too short to be doing this” or “No one is ever going to take a delinquent like you seriously.”, but those are usually their last words before I send them to the hospital. When I was younger I saw an incredible fighter, he was barely taller than me but he managed to turn those odds in his favour. I’d never seen such grace and amazing athletic prowess in anyone else since, and I decided to make it my goal to become a fighter like him.   
I felt a dull bludgeoning force on my shoulder then I realized that someone had walked into me, it seemed as if they might have done it one purpose based on the amount of force that they’d put into it. I turned around to face the poor soul who thought that it was a good idea. Looking up I see an unfamiliar face but he did fit the descriptions I’d heard perfectly. His short blond hair, his small black glasses and the almost dead look in his eyes give off an intimidating aura but this isn’t the first guy I’d face like him.

“Tsukishima I’m guessing? Or maybe I should call you Tsukki like your friend Yamaguchi did, it’s a real shame what happened to him.”

That seemed to strike a nerve as his face contorted in disgust.

“You have no right to say his name.”

I thought I would have been in for a fight but he turned around and seemingly began to walk away.

“Oh come on, it’s not like I told him where Yamaguchi would be.”

I raised my eyebrows suggestively as he turned around and I noticed a change in his posture. He no longer looked tired or sluggish, he had taken up a more athletic stance as if he was ready on a moment's notice to respond should I strike first. Normally I would have taken the bait but I knew better than to attack him head-on if I’d never seen him fight before. Back in middle school as well as at the start of high school I would jump into every fight thrown my way but I quickly understood which battles were worth fighting and which ones would give me an advantage. If I lost to Tsukishima now I might lose the respect and fear I hold over the students in my classroom and Kageyama would take that opportunity to try to take it for himself. The other students didn’t realize this and quickly backed up towards the walls in hopes that they wouldn’t get involved. Tsukishima took this opportunity and stepped forward and just as I thought he was going to stop there, he quickly approached me. I just barely registered the movement in my peripheral vision before the punch came from the left. I dodged to the right but as he brought his other hand towards my chest, I realized that the first attack was a feint. The force was enough to push me backwards and I found myself skidding a couple feet before coming to a stop. I looked up in shock but I felt a new surge of adrenaline and excitement when I saw him. Unlike Tsukishima, Kageyama liked to pull the strings from behind, it was rare that I saw him fight and even rearer that he’d try to outright fight someone. He saw that I hesitated, still thinking about Kageyama and took it as an opportunity, this time hitting me in the stomach. I felt the air get knocked out of me before I found myself falling to the floor. I was annoyed but I was more at awe with his incredible change in character. I’d seen him around school a few times, but never expected he could throw a punch like this. He was unhinged as he stared at me with hunger in his eyes, almost as if he was looking to inflict the same damage on me as the other boy had on Yamaguchi. Ordinarily, he appeared to be standoffish even indifferent at times, but I had always respected him for his good grades. He managed to make going to this hellhole of a school look like a walk in the park though I now realize that everyone has their tipping points. Smiling, I stood up, sliding a hand over the newly forming bruise where he had hit me first.

“You hit harder than I thought you would.”

I said it as a compliment but it seemed to only piss him off more. His behaviour now was even more unpredictable than it had been before. At first, I thought it was impressive how he could hold his own in a fight against someone who was much more experienced than him. I know he had regularly taken beatings by some of the other class reps and with his intelligence it was possible that he picked up strategies but from what I was currently observing it looked as if he was fighting to kill. The culmination of all his knowledge could easily result in serious injury should he fight a less experienced student, maybe even death if he wasn’t careful.   
Another fist came rushing past my face and I barely had time to move out of the way before a second one came shortly after. For the first time in a long time, I realized that I was on the defence. My superior stamina and agility almost always had my opponents backed into a corner, but Tsukishima was going all out and I wasn’t sure if I could keep up.   
I jumped back two steps before he had a chance to strike again.

“I love a good fight as much as anyone, especially with someone as surprisingly challenging as you, but don’t you think you should tone it down a bit?”

His voice came out eerily calm.

“And why should I do that?”

His response caught me off guard. He’d always been so analytical, if he was unable to see the problem with his fighting style now, it was possible that he really might cause some irreversible damage. I had to end this now.  
I charged forward, hoping to catch him off guard. I stuck with my legs first, jumping high, attempting to hit above his guard and directly to the side of his head. He managed to bring his arm up at the last second but I quickly spun and kicked him with my other leg. Hitting the side of his head, I knocked his glasses off and they flew to the far side of the hallway. I landed in front of him and quickly skipped backwards making sure that I didn’t leave an opening for an attack. Coming to a stop a few feet away, I was surprised that he didn’t try to strike again considering his previous assault pattern. Looking at him more closely I realized that he was squinting, his eyesight was worse than I had originally thought. In an act of kindness, I picked up his glasses and handed them to him.

“We should fight again sometime!”

I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm.

“Maybe next it could be-”

I didn’t get another word out as he bombarded me with punches of incredible speed. One after another they kept connecting, I could barely take a step as more and more hit. My head, my chest, my stomach, nothing seemed safe from him. One punch landed in the middle of my forehead and the area erupted in a piercing pain. I saw my vision blur and darken around the edges. For the first time in a long time, I felt scared. I tried blocking him but limbs didn’t want to cooperate and my legs began to give out from underneath me. I hit the floor and as I was swimming in the pain from what I assumed was a concussion. My eyes felt heavy and finally closed firmly as I drifted off into a discomforting darkness. 

Sunlight filtered in through a window as my eyes opened slowly. The bright light was agonizing as I realized that I must have been unconscious for a long time. The sun had begun to dip closely towards the horizon, basking the room in a pink glow. Sitting up, my head immediately cautioned against it with a forceful throbbing but I coerced myself up anyways. I slowly scanned the room for anyone else when I noticed another boy in the bed next to mine. His back was facing me so I was unable to see his face but something about him was unusually familiar. I carefully stepped out of bed to get a closer look. Peering over his shoulder, I could clearly see his short unkempt hair beaded with a mix of sweat and something that smelled strongly of iron, most likely blood. My suspicions were confirmed when I caught sight of the large bruises, bandages and small cuts stilling bleeding that covered the front of his face. Large blue eyes opened as I put more of my weight on the bed, attempting to get a better look at his swollen face. That’s when I finally understood why he seemed so familiar; it was Kageyama. I quickly jumped back but his eyes seemed unfocused as he looked at me, almost as if he didn’t realize who exactly was looking at him. Although he was what I would consider my rival, I was unhappy to see him in the state he was. 

“What happened?”

I asked him softly. It took him a second to process the question, then a few more to finally respond. He still appeared dazed as he answered.

“I got into a fight.”

“Well, that much is obvious.”

“I think it was with the tall blond guy... he hit me before I knew what had happened… then I guess I woke up here.”

I playfully asked him a few more questions and his thoughts seemed to become more coherent as he talked. Finally, his eyes cleared and narrowed in on me.

“Hinata!”

He seemed shocked as he said those words and something in his voice said that he was ready to fight. I was too tired to fight someone else today, and as he was in an even worse state than me, he didn’t get up to move. I flopped back down onto the bed.

“Tsukishima beat me up too, caught me totally off guard.” 

Although I was disappointed to have been defeated I was still exhilarated and a little scared to have found an opponent as strong as him. 

“To be fair though, I did initiate the fight at least. Do you know why he attacked you?”

His voice and mannerisms told me that he was a little uncomfortable with talking to me but he answered my question honestly.

“I think he was just looking for another fight. After he finished with you he must have noticed me and thought that I would have made a better opponent. Of course, I would have been too, had he not hit me before I knew what was happening,”

He seemed disappointed and annoyed as he said those words.

“Hey, at least you didn’t lose to him in front of your classroom and after a fair fight.”

That seemed to cheer him up a bit and as much as I hated him, this was probably the first real conversation I had had with him and it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would have been. We continued going back and forth asking each other questions, learning more about one and another as we both lay in our separate beds, feeling the pain slowly receded. I would never have admitted this before but we honestly had a lot in common. As the conversation went on I found that my eyelids began to feel heavy again, this time out of pure exhaustion instead of a blow to the head. As my eyes began to close I noticed that Kageyama had also stopped talking too, although we might have been enemies in rival classrooms, the thought of falling asleep next to him made me feel inexplicably safer than falling asleep alone. 

I awoke to the sound of two very familiar voices, it was Kouji and Izumi. I believe that if you researched loyalty you would find a picture of them, though they'd never been very tough, they always had my back in a fight or were ready to patch me should I have lost.   
Izumi quickly started up a conversation about what happened after I’d been knocked out and how quickly word had spread about Tsukishima’s unfair victory. Although I was interested in the conversation I couldn’t help but notice that no one had come to visit Kageyama. We’d only been in the infirmary for a couple hours, but School had already finished so everyone should have been out of class and club activities. I watched the door expectantly but as the minutes wore on it seemed as if there really wasn’t going to be anyone coming to see him. I had heard rumours of Kageyama’s cold behaviour but after talking to him earlier, I found them hard to believe. I think he also realized that no one was coming to see him, as instead of looking at the door he began staring solemnly at the floor. Just as I was thinking of a way to include Kageyama in the conversation, Kouji brought up a more concerning idea.

“Now that Tsukishima’s beat you and Kageyama, there’s no way he’s going to stop there. You guys are really strong, but if he tried to go up against Asahi or Tanaka it could go downhill really quickly. And if he went right to Daichi or Sugawara he might end up in worse shape than Yamaguchi.”

I wasn’t happy with how my fight with Tsukishima ended. I could have and probably would have won had he not pulled that stunt at the end but even I knew it was suicide to go up against most of the 2nd years and the 3rd years could knock you out before you even knew what hit you. I think Kageyama had the same idea as me because as he turned his head we made eye contact and a mutual understanding seemed to have been made. 

“If he went against them alone, that might be the case.”

Slowly a smile crept across my face as a plan began to form in my head. I turned towards Kageyama.

“But I think it’s about time that leadership of the school be passed to some of the new blood.”

Kageyama caught on quickly and finished what I was about to say.

“If we got together the right team, we might actually stand a fighting chance.”

“Maybe Tsukishima would like to know who really set up Yamaguchi.”

I said decisively. 

“Plus, I recently caught wind of a couple 2nd years who seem to be tired of the current leadership, they might be interested too.”

The same smile that I wore on my face seemed to have spread to Kageyama’s as well and as a reciprocal truce was formed between the two of us. Although our relationship might be a little rocky, I think that we could be the start of a beautiful partnership. We might be planning the beginning of a revolution at Karasuno High School and Kageyama and I would be the ones leading the charge.


End file.
